The Art of Sun, Pastry, and Peace
by Auless
Summary: Cheren and White share a quiet morning in Castelia City, in which they find the calming effects of sun and the proper term for those darned twisty doughnuts. Fluffy, friendshippy Checkmateshipping.


She stood just ahead of him, back to the pier, eyes shut. She was grinning, foot tapping to a tune only she could hear. Hair whipping in the wind, a finger subconsciously pinning it behind her ear, she seemed…peaceful?

With a "heh," she opened one eye, still grinning.

"Feeling good?"

"Hell yes," she said, turning and swaggering off towards inner Castelia City. "I feel like…awesome."

He cocked an eyebrow, walking after her. "Any reason for it? I mean – not complaining, White, but…"

"Blame it on Icirrus," she called, tossing her hair back. "So _sick_ of snow. Had enough snow to feel it coming out of my ears."

"So, you must've been…basking in the sun."

The dark-haired trainer whirled around, a smile curling her lips just a tad. "Right in the middle of Nimbasa, believe it or not."

He chuckled. "Oh, I see."

"Oh, yeah." She tipped her head back, exhaling. "So, instead of a Castelia Cone, today, I was thinking…doughnuts."

A look crossed her face, a hybrid between a devious smirk and a genuine smile. "Want to come along, Cheren? You pay this time."

Cheren looked at her, scanning her features for any hint of insincerity. The eyes were calm, the face didn't seem pasted on or fake…and she was actually smiling.

"…Sure."

White turned, humming a bit. She took off her vest, stuffing it in her bag, and started walking off to the little bakery.

Watching her, he was caught between bemused and scared. It was nice to be able to deal with White without exchanging insults first. Then again…they hadn't really fought since Juniper had given them pokémon and parted ways. Before, Bianca would always use White as a shield from Cheren, and their "friendship" always looked slightly skewed.

Or perhaps that was just because White was just naturally mean. For all he knew, the real White was tied up somewhere and this was simply a decoy.

_But_, he thought, watching her straying foot trip a heavily make-up'ed girl, _I think that's actually her._

She walked into the bakery a minute behind him, having been delayed with a battle, and saw that he'd ordered for the two of them. He was sitting at a table, and waving at her.

"Here," he said across the bakery, pointing at the seat across.

"So, what's up with you?" he asked, after she took a seat. "You're happy, you're talking to me, you volunteered to have breakfast with me – and you can't get that happy from sunshine. Unless you bought 'tea' from those kids in Nacrene."

"I haven't been drinking weed tea, if that's what you're asking," White said, amusement in her voice. "It's just one of those days where the world seems perfect. Might as well make the most of it."

"How come the world isn't perfect all the time?"

"Because." The clerk called out his name and White jumped up to retrieve the stuff, returning a few minutes later with a tray of wondrous things.

"What's mine?" she asked, gazing at the wonders of downtown Castelia.

"I dunno. The drinks are all apricot tea, and those are just turnovers and doughnuts and stuff. Take your pick, because the leftovers are for the pokémon."

She picked up a cup of tea and a cruller. After taking a bite, she leaned back in her seat.

"Now you see what I mean," she said, making a face that made him laugh. "This is good."

"Castelia's good at baking, right?"

"Right," she chuckled. "This is, like, the best twisty doughnut I've ever had."

Cheren looked at her, tipping his head to the side and smiling slightly. "A 'twisty doughnut'?"

"Well, yeah. This thing." She showed him her pastry.

"It's called a cruller, White," and he broke out in a full out grin. "I wonder how you stay alive sometimes."

"Practice," she replied, and lifted her tea into the air. "Cheers to vital survival knowledge not including the name of exotic pastry!"

"Cheers," he agreed, bumping his plastic cup with hers. "But still, I think it's stupid you memorized the whole billboard of Nimbasa junk food and not a single traditional dish."

He smiled, and she simply shrugged, knowing that Cheren hadn't known the word before visiting the bakery, either. But some things you just let drop, and revel in the moment of. A temporary truce to eat crullers in a bakery in Castelia, that's the life worth living. And she's would never give it up for anything.

A/N: It feels so awkward to submit my first story and go silent for over a month afterwards. xD But I suppose it's better than uploading the absolute crap I've written - only the best, right?

Ah, well. Checkmateshipping needs more love, truly, so have some fluff. And crullers. =3

And if I could possibly get a review out of you, I'd be thrilled. But if you don't, that's fine - just hope you enjoyed reading~


End file.
